Slate Breaker: National Football League Week 3

Game Picks

Giants @ Browns

The Giants just played the worst defense and were only able to muster 18 points. Besides Malik Nabers, this offense is a disaster so do not be surprised if this talented Browns defense holds them under 200 total yards. The Browns offense has struggles of their own but their defense makes this an easy home win.

Bears @ Colts

The battle of two inept passing attacks. The offensive line is a real problem for Chicago and it could end up ruining Caleb Williams career, but I still have faith Williams will shine when given the time. The Colts only have 4 sacks this season so Williams could find more time this week, but I think this O line is just too bad to compete at the moment. The Colts win an ugly offensive game.

Eagles @ Saints

What the Saints did last week was very impressive, but I still think they are nothing more than mediocre. The Eagles are coming off a heartbreaking loss so they will come out playing max effort on every play. An angry Eagles team is nothing to mess around with and they will not just beat the Saints but dominate them and tear down all the Saints hype.

Texans @ Vikings

This whole week I was ready to pick the Vikings. The Vikings defense is no joke and will quickly become regarded as a top 5 unit, but they are without two of their top defenders with Turner and Pace out. I am now leaning the Texans but by the slightest of margins since they still seem like a very overrated team and are yet to pull off a marquee win during the Stroud era.

Chargers @ Steelers

Welcome to the defensive game of the week. The defense is both of these teams' strength. I was leaning Chargers to start the week since Herbert has looked great as a game manager doing what he needs to in order to keep the chains moving, but with the news of his high ankle sprain coming out, I am very hesitant to stick with the Bolts. This game sucks for fantasy purposes so I would try not to play any offensive players in this game. This game is a toss up, but I still lean Chargers since they should play mistake free football.

Broncos @ Buccaneers

Bo Nix should not be starting in the NFL right now. This Bucs defense will be able to dominate the Broncos offense. Bucs cruise to an easy win.

Packers @ Titans

This all comes down to the QB situation. If Willis is the Packers starter, the underrated Titans defense will dominate the Packers. If Love plays, he will not be at 100% so the Packers offense will have some struggles, but this will be a competitive game. The Packers run defense is not good so if the Titans are smart, they ride Tony Pollard and this running game to a win.

Panthers @ Raiders

The Panthers just got rid of their worst player and they will be a new team. Andy Dalton is not particularly good, but he is leagues better than Bryce Young so expect some real production with talents like Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson on the outside. The Panthers will pull out their first win of the season.

Dolphins @ Seahawks

We will learn very quickly that the Skylar Thompson experience is not a good one. Seahawks win easily as there is only so much Achane, Hill and Waddle can do without a QB.

Lions @ Cardinals

The Cardinals are one of if not the most underrated team in the NFL. They humiliated the Rams last week and hung around on the road with a very strong Bills team. The Lions are not a pushover making this the game of the week. Both of these offenses are terrific and can produce on both the ground and through the air. I loved the way the Cardinals defense looked last week as they were flying around and anytime a Ram caught the ball multiple Cardinals were in his face. I think the Cardinals shock the world and establish themselves as a true contender in the NFC.

Ravens @ Cowboys

The Cowboys are not as bad as they looked last week, but I think the Ravens actually might be. In no way are the Raiders a  good team so to be able to lose a home game to them does not bode well for the Ravens 2024 season. The Cowboys make a statement and easily beat the Ravens at home.

49ers @ Rams

Kyren Williams is good, but he is not good enough to be able to singlehandedly carry the Rams to a win. The 49ers have a lot of injuries as well, but their defense is mostly intact so I would not expect much from the Rams offense this week. 49ers get back above 500.

Chiefs @ Falcons

I know the Falcons pulled off an impressive road victory last week, but there is no way they are ready to compete with the Chiefs. The Chiefs defense will be able to limit the Falcons rushing attack and Kirk Cousins will not be able to keep pace with Mahomes on his own.

Player Spotlights

Quarterbacks

Play of the Day: Brock Purdy, 49ers (@ Rams)

The 49ers are hurting on offense with CMC, Deebo and Kittle all expected to miss this game. Normally, that would be a bad thing for QBs, but Purdy is the type of QB who will step up in situations like these especially after having a slow start to the season. The Rams secondary just got exposed by the Cardinals so I have little doubt that Purdy will be able to do the same.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (@ Falcons)

Mahomes is off to a slow start, but that will change this week. The injury to Pacheco is a bad thing for the Chiefs, but a great thing for Mahomes' fantasy status. If you can remember before the Pacheco era, all the goal line work would go to Mahomes whether it was a shovel pass, quick out, fade or naked boot keeper; but once Pacheco arrived, all the work inside the 5 went to the hulking back. Expect a huge bump in production for Mahomes this week.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals (vs Lions)

Murray is quickly establishing himself as one of the most consistent fantasy QBs in football. He has scored more than 17.5 in all but two of his games since returning from injury last year. Last week he finished as the QB1 and most importantly he was able to do that with limited rushing output. If we are getting a Murray that is both a great passer and rusher, then this will be 2024's QB1.

Andy Dalton, Panthers (@ Raiders)

Dalton is just too cheap. He likely will not be a top 10 QB, but he should be able to produce enough to deliver solid value on his rock bottom price. In Dalton's one start with the Panthers, he was fantastic. He passed for more than 350 yards and multiple TDs leading to 23.54 fantasy points. If he can come anywhere close to producing a similar line, he will be a big difference maker.

Running Backs

Play of the Day: Cam Akers, Texans (@ Vikings)

Cam Akers is free. That is right, you can get a top 10 offense's feature back for free. I just do not see how he can disappoint at this price. Even if scores just 8 points that will still be great value, but he will score way more than 8 points. Add in that Ivan Pace and Dallas Turner will be out this week for Minnesota and Akers is in line for a huge day.

De'Von Achane, Dolphins (@ Seahawks)

Raheem Mostert is out and Skylar Thompson is the starting QB. Achane is going to be the only functional part of this offense. He will be given as much work as he can handle and for a player of Achane's talents, that will lead to a monster day. My one worry is whether this offense will be able to sustain any real offense because if Thompson is completely inept, that would be a hurdle too big for Achane to overcome. If the Dolphins offense is remotely functional, Achane will be sporting a huge state line. 

Josh Jacobs, Packers (@ Titans)

No matter who starts at QB, Josh Jacobs will be the majority of the Packers offensive game plan this week. If Malik Willis is the starter, the Packers will run the ball 60 times. If Jordan Love is the starter, they will protect him and run the ball a bunch. He has averaged 25 touches per game which makes him the best volume play on the slate. Jacobs's usage is unrivaled.

Tony Pollard, Titans (vs Packers)

Tony Pollard has looked great as a Titan. He is averaging 98 total yards per game with insane usage. He has 20+ opportunities in each game this year with healthy usage in both the passing and running game. The 2022 Tony Pollard may be back. The Packers are also very beatable on the ground allowing the 7th most fantasy points to RBs through the first two games.

Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks (vs Dolphins)

The Seahawks will be in complete control of this game from the jump which will lead to insane usage for Charbonnet. He is the only trusted back for this team while Walker is out so do not be surprised if he ends up with 25 touches this week. The usage for Charbonnet is far too appealing to pass up.

Wide Receivers

Play of the Day: Justin Jefferson, Vikings (vs Texans)

Justin Jefferson is a good start each and every week, but this matchup is very juicy. The Texans simply cannot keep WRs in front of them right now. In Week 1 they allowed multiple deep catches to Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell was running free twice but Richardson missed him both times. Jefferson will expose this defense who is allowing 16.5 yards per catch. He will connect on at least one deep pass this gain if not multiple. Jefferson will be a top 5 scoring WR this week.

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys (vs Ravens)

Lamb is now the top fantasy WR following Tyreek's huge downgrade at QB so you need him in your lineups regardless of opponent, but the Ravens have just looked bad against WRs to open the year. They allowed a 100 yard game to Rashee Rice which was good enough for WR16 while also allowing Xavier Worthy to finish as WR9. It was not much better in Week 2 when they allowed 110 yards and a TD to Davante Adams which resulted in a WR6 performance. CeeDee is far better than any of those guys so he will also be a top 5 scorer this week.

DeVonta Smith, Eagles (@ Saints)

DeVonta Smith is an incredible start as long as AJ Brown is out. He has been a fantasy monster in the two games that Brown has missed over the past two seasons with over 17 fantasy points in each. No other Eagles receiver has displayed an ability to be their defender downfield which leads to elite usage for Smith. The Saints are a tough matchup, but Hurts and this passing game is too strong for Smith to not produce with this level of usage.

Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers (@ Rams)

I like Jauan Jennings a lot too, but this will be the game that Aiyuk finally delivers for fantasy players. He has finished outside the top 40 in back to back weeks but he is an absolute monster when Deebo is out. Aiyuk has played 15 games with Samuel inactive since he came into the league, he has 4 top 10 games and 7 top 20 games. Two of those 15 games Aiyuk left the game early with an injury and the majority of the games were his rookie year so he is basically a lock to produce a strong line when Samuel is out as long as he is healthy and fully integrated in the offense. Expect a top 15 game for Aiyuk with elite upside.

Diontae Johnson & Adam Thielen, Panthers (@ Raiders)

One of these guys will be great this week; I just do not know who. In Dalton's one start with the Panthers, Thielen had 11 catches for 145 yards and a TD. I just do not know who will be the guy now that Johnson is in town. Whoever ends up with the most usage will be a great play, but good luck figuring that out. It is about a 50/50 chance for either guy but I like Thielen more than Johnson by the slightest of margins.

Jordan Whittington, Rams (vs 49ers)

This is just a vibes play. As Puka Nacua showed last year, whoever occupies the WR1 role for the Rams is in line for a huge fantasy play. The Rams just do not spread the ball around leading the stat sheet to always be top heavy. Whittington received a lot of hype during the offseason and he is by far the best athlete now that Kupp and Nacua are out so I would not be surprised if he stepped right into a huge role.

Tight Ends

Play of the Day: Brock Bowers, Raiders (vs Panthers)

There is usually a huge learning curve for Tight Ends when they make the jump from college to the NFL typically taking 2 to 3 years to get fully integrated into the offense, but Bowers is not most Tight Ends. He has jumped right into a feature role with 17 targets over 2 games. The Panthers are very susceptible to the Tight End position with the 2nd most points allowed to the position to begin the year. With great usage and a juicy matchup, Bowers will have a great day.

Trey McBride, Cardinals (vs Lions)

As long as McBride is locked into at least 6 targets per game, he is a great fantasy play. His usage is simply unrivaled although Bowers is making a push towards him. McBride has now supplanted Kelce and Andrews as the safest TE play.

Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (vs Ravens)

Fergie is just too cheap. He is the 12th highest priced TE on the slate and he will far outperform that ranking. He has solid involvement in the passing game, but it is his redzone usage that really appeals to me. Ferguson led the Tight Ends in endzone targets last year and I expect him to step right back into that role. 

Eric Saubert, 49ers (@ Rams)

This is all about the price. I do not think he will have a huge day, but he will end up with the third most targets on the 49ers and if he finds the endzone he will be the top value at TE since he is free. I like the risk here.

Defenses

Play of the Day: Buccaneers D/ST (vs Broncos)

Now that Bryce Young is no longer the starting QB for the Panthers, the Broncos offense is the team to play defenses against as long as Nix remains the QB. The Broncos have allowed an average of 11 fantasy points to opposing defenses. The Buccaneers defense will easily produce double digit fantasy points.

Other Plays: Browns D/ST (vs Giants); Seahawks D/ST (vs Dolphins); 49ers D/ST (@ Rams); Titans D/ST (vs Packers) if Love is out; & Panthers D/ST (@ Raiders)

FanDuel DFS Dream Team

QB: Brock Purdy, 49ers (@ Rams)

RB1: Cam Akers, Texans (@ Vikings)

RB2: Tony Pollard, Titans (vs Packers)

WR1: CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys (vs Ravens)

WR2: Justin Jefferson, Vikings (vs Texans)

WR3: Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers (@ Rams)

TE: Brock Bowers, Raiders (vs Panthers)

Flex: Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks (vs Dolphins)

D/ST: Titans D/ST (vs Packers)

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